One in three workers admit to taking time off under false pretences¹, according to research.

研究显示，英国三分之一的员工承认他们请假是造假。

Good weather, hangovers（宿醉） and romantic trysts²（幽会，约会） motivated some staff to lie about absences, the study found.

Boredom³ and depression at work prompted almost two-thirds to call in sick because they are disillusioned⁴（醒悟的，不抱幻想的） with their jobs.

Some of the excuses reported were: ‘I fell out of the loft’ and ‘I was beaten up by a bouncer’.

Pet problems were frequently cited with dog-related illnesses most common.

Illness is the favoured excuse with four out of ten absentees faking symptoms or using props⁵ such as crutches⁶（拐杖） and make-up in preparation for a day off.

Half of all health-related excuses involve stomach upsets, which are hard to disprove.

Absenteeism（旷工，旷课） costs British businesses around £32billion a year, according to a study of 2,000 firms by accountants PwC.

British skivers take twice as many days off as their counterparts in America.

Workers between 18 and 34 years old are more prone⁷ to phoning in sick than their older colleagues.

But PwC’s Nick Roden said coping with the pressures of family life was an important factor in many sick days.

He added: ‘For 21 percent of workers, family responsibilities are the real reason behind sick days, perhaps highlighting the difficulties staff face achieving a work-life balance.’